SKIN CARE ROUTINE ON A BUDGET - 10 PRODUCTS UNDER £10

My skincare routine has had many changes over the past couple of months but one thing I've always made sure of is that I'm not spending a tonne of money. I've don't feet the urge to splurge on products that are going to run out so soon when I see drugstores full of cheap skin care that doesn't seem to be so different to the expensive brands I see online. Back in the day I tried out many pricey skin products that promised to clear or brighten or 'fix' my skin that just didn't work for me, I understand the more expensive products tend to contain more luxurious ingredients but I personally don't want to spend hundreds on something to wash my face.

I want to look after my skin and use products with healthy ingredients that can keep my skin looking fresh and clear without breaking the bank. I've been doing my current skin care religiously for a month and so far it hasn't failed me and I'm really enjoying all the products I've been using. I have 10 products that I use on a regular basis that are all under £10, (or just over, I tried I'm sorry!)! One of my favourite places to find affordable skin care products is TK MAXX because they tend to carry brands I don't see in the drugstore with more obscure products such as the first two products in my list. Some people may not want to use products from brand names they haven't heard of but I research everything before I've put it on my face so I'm pretty confident I'll be ok. 

The first product I use in the morning to cleanse my face is the Da Rose Quartz Face Cleanser which is £6.99 from TK MAXX. I don't like to use anything soapy or too harsh in the mornings as my skin is very sensitive and dry, I just need something to gently remove the products from my night time routine. This cleanser is designed to tone and enrich the skin with nutrients, it's very soft and milky which leaves the skin incredibly soft and it doesn't irritate my dry skin at all. 

Some of the Rose Quartz Crystal Range properties are listed on the Da website, some of these include;

'Attracts love and positive relationships, strengthening existing relationships,Restores confidence, harmony and happiness, Improves vertigo symptoms, Soothes burns and abrasions and Strengthens the circulatory system.'

I'm not sure how much I truly believe these properties are affecting my life but I do think that it's a lovely addition to a simple cleanser and when I'm washing my face with it I do think about my day ahead and try to be more positive about my going ons.

After I've washed and dried my face I use a couple spritz of the Da Rose Quartz Face Mist which is £5.99 from TK MAXX. I mainly bought this product as it matches the cleanser but I was surprised by how much I love it. It promises to tone and hydrate while giving you a glow which I like as I don't often wear make up. I do feel like this helps tone my skin without making it feel too tight which often happens when I use toners on my dry skin so I'm really grateful for that. The best thing about this mist though is that it smells very floral without having that crazy perfumed scent due to the essential oils mixed into the formula. These oils give the skin a subtle dewy look which is very pretty whilst also hydrating the skin. Again the Rose Quartz Range offers 'magical and medicinal properties' but to be honest the smell of this mist does calm me down a lot and makes me relax when I use it in my night time routine.

After toner I use a serum, this is The Skin Method vitamin C facial serum which is £7.99 from TK MAXX again. Vitamin C brightens your skin and makes you appear more awake and fresh whilst also hydrating your skin. I use this serum morning and night after toning, you only use the tiniest amount and can put it on any spots on your body such as face, neck, chest, elbows, hands, feet and knees to keep them hydrated. As soon as I put this product onto my face I can see how much brighter my skin looks plus it absorbs relatively quickly for being such a thick consistency which is really useful during my mornings.

Theres a tonne of vitamin c serums out there, I've been told that Superdrug have a great one that's something crazy like £2! On the other end of the spectrum the Mario Badescu vitamin C serum is £40 for 29ml which is a different kind of crazy. The Skin Method serum comes in a 60ml bottle and is less than a tenner which I'm extremely impressed by.

Once my serum has absorbed I use the E.L.F illuminating eye cream, I don't know if this is cheating slightly but this product us usually £11.50 but is currently on sale in Superdrug for only £3!!! I bought this product in one of the many 3 for 2 sales Boots has so in reality it is super easy to find this eye cream for under £10. I like to use an eye cream as I get very dry sensitive skin around my eyes and like to have a more concentrated moisturising product to keep my skin hydrated. The E.L.F eye cream is infused with vitamin E which helps reduce puffiness and gives a brighter appearance under your eyes, this makes a big difference for me as I tend to have a purple undertone under my eyes which is hardly noticeable after I use this cream.

I brought this T-Zone Spot Zapping Gel from Home Bargains because it was only 99p and I only get the occasional spot here and there so I didn't want to spend much money on a product I wouldn't really use. This product isn't going to clear up acne or get rid of cystic pimples but when I feel a random spot coming up on my skin or wake up with a baby spot I use a bit of this product on it and within a couple hours the spot is significantly smaller or at least it looks far less irritated. The gel formula contains the classic tea tree, witch hazel and salicylic acid which are contained in pretty much every anti-blemish product you can find. This isn't a miracle, life changing product but it is handy to have if you only need a spot zapping product occasionally.



The last product in my morning routine is the Hydro Boost water gel from Neutrogena, this is £12.99 but again I bought this in the Boots 3 for 2 sale. The gel formula of this moisturiser is so soothing and makes my skin so soft, if you store this product in cool, shaded space like advised the cooling effect it can have on your skin is incredible, the cold product against tired skin in the morning helps you wake up while making your skin look fresh. This moisturiser promises to boost hydration and look it in all day for smooth, supple and renewed skin and I would definitely vouch for it and say this product does everything it says it should. The texture of this moisturiser is different to every other I have tried and it never looks oily thanks to the oil free formula, this is a dry skin staple for me and I couldn't live without it.



In the evenings, especially if I've been wearing make up throughout the day, I like to use a soapy face wash to make sure my face is completely free of make up and clean. My favourite face wash is the Soap and Glory Vitamin C Facial Wash which is £8 from Boots. Alongside this product I use my face brush to really foam up the product on my face and remove any dirt or makeup residue leaving it fully clarified. The reason I like the Soap and Glory face wash more than another face wash is the fact that technically this face 'soap' isn't a soap, the ingredients are much more gentle on the skin but still create a foam without drying out the skin surface. After using this face wash my skin feels so soft and incredibly clean, I use this in the evenings in place of my morning cleanser to prep my skin for my evening products.

Also this bottle is huge! You get 350ml of product so its one hundred percent worth the money, I've had this since December and I'm not even halfway through it yet!



In the evenings I use the Revolution Beauty Quinoa Night Peel gently night peeling serum.  This product is only £8 and the 30ml bottle has lasted me months! The main thing that attracted me to this product was the promise of smoother skin texture, the gentle quinoa extract lifts away dead skin cells and boosts the skins natural cell turnover. I like this product and can see the visible affect it's had on my skin, especially on my cheeks where I had some acne scarring made to look worse by dry skin, the texture of my skin has changed dramatically and now it's silky smooth. As well as hydrating dry skin you need to gently exfoliate and remove the dry, dead skin cells to improve the look of your skin. This peel is so gentle on your skin and gave me no irritation or even dryness at all. The Revolution serum range looks so interesting and I can't wait to try out more of their products!

After leaving the Quinoa Peel to absorb for at least 10 minutes I apply this Olay Overnight Recovery mask which is £9.99 from Superdrug. This night cream leaves my skin feeling so soft and so hydrated and when I wake up in the morning my skin is still super smooth. I don't use this product every night as I do like to give pores some time to breathe but if I know I'm going to wear a full face of make up the next day I like to prepare and hydrate my skin.

I exfoliate my face 2 or 3 times a week, you don't need to exfoliate any more than that otherwise you're going to irritate your skin. To exfoliate my face I use the £3.99 BodyPrescriptions Charcoal and Vitamin C Face Scrub from TK MAXX. This scrub is very very similar to the scrubs from Lush, you need to mix a little water with the product to create the perfect exfoliating texture. This scrub leaves my skin so soft and feeling fresh, my favourite time to use the scrub is if I'm going to do a face mask because I feel like my pores are open and ready to soak in all the goodness from my face mask.


I LOVE skincare, I look forward to doing my morning routine to get me ready to start my day and my me time getting un-ready before bed helps me calm down before going to sleep. There's something deeper to washing your face than just hygiene, spending time out of your day to really look after your skin and give your body some love really boosts your confidence and lets you show yourself some self love in a really simple way. You don't need to spend loads of money to have nice products, there are tonnes of affordable products out there that can do exactly the same jobs!